Villains Peter Could Face in Spider-Man: Homecoming 2

With the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel has brought a number of Spidey’s Rogues Gallery to life for the first time. While past films have focused on multiple Green Goblins along with comic stalwarts like the Lizard and Sandman, Kevin Feige’s plan for Spidey’s future in the MCU is to focus on never-before-seen live-action foes. Mostly, this new approach puts Michael Keaton’s take on the Vulture center stage, but a crop of other villains make an appearance in the new movie.

While past superhero films have sometimes suffered from an abundance of rogues, Homecoming plays it smart by having the secondary villains merely be colorful minions in service of the Vulture. As such, two different versions of the Shocker are utilized, along with iterations of the Prowler, the Tinkerer, and Scorpion. Thanks to these introductions, a number of seeds have been planted for future Spider-Man movie foes. The precedent also means Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 could play host to a variety of new faces from the page. While we’ll have to wait a bit to learn which villain Peter will face in the sequel to this summer’s film, there’s a number of candidates from the comics that could be making their MCU debut in 2019.

Hobgoblin

Along with Kevin Feige, Homecoming star Tom Holland has stated he only wants to see Spidey face villains we haven’t seen before on the big screen. Unfortunately, that means the Joker to Spider-Man’s Batman is definitely out of the question. Luckily, the Green Goblin isn’t the only maniac flying around on a glider and dropping pumpkin bombs.

Debuting in 1983’s Amazing Spider-Man #238, Hobgoblin was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr. for the sole purpose of not going back to the Green Goblin well. With Norman Osborn dead in the comics and the idea of yet another person putting on the Green Goblin mask seeming tired, Stern began crafting the Hobgoblin to fill the gap in Spidey’s Rogues Gallery.

Over the years, a lot of people have taken up the mantle, but the first and main one is Roderick Kingsley. Not only does Kingsley’s involvement allow the broad strokes of Green Goblin to be used with a fresh character, but the rogue eventually starts a business where he licenses old supervillain personas to new buyers. With the MCU killing off so many villains, this conceit could be a great way to bring back some deceased identities.

Another option besides Kingsley, however, is Harry Osborn. In the Ultimate universe, Harry takes on the Hobgoblin persona, something that could be explored when the character is introduced in the MCU. Marvel already draws heavily from the Ultimate imprint for their films, from the cinematic takes on Hawkeye and Nick Fury, to using Miles Morales’ uncle as the Prowler in Homecoming. No matter who wears the mask, it’s only a matter of time before the Hobgoblin arrives on the big screen.

Kraven & Mysterio

We’ve heard a lot of back and forth about whether Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff films are part of the MCU or not. The final verdict seems to be that Spider-Man and Sony’s rogues exist separately, but that could change. Given the confusion, it’s likely Marvel is waiting to see how things like Venom and Silver & Black pan out before they decide they’re part of the MCU. If they prove to be hits and up to Marvel’s standards, we could see Spider-Man crossover with the Sony films and see villains from the spinoff films come to the MCU.

For fans, that scenario would be a dream come true. As it stands, Sony is poised to exercise the full extent of their rights and bring a number of Spidey’s rogues to the big screen. If they do, it could potentially cut them off from showing up in a future Spider-Man film. If they’re fair game, however, then a number of exciting possibilities emerge.

A recent report indicated that Sony is interested in pursuing solo movies featuring Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio. When it comes to villains Spidey could face in a Homecoming sequel, that pair might just be the perfect odd couple of crime. Though Kraven and Mysterio have worked together as part of the Sinister Six, pitting the pair against Spidey without other rogues around could make for an interesting dynamic. Having Kraven’s more primal approach to fighting and tracking butt up against Mysterio’s melodramatic spectacle and use of deception could prove to be a buddy villain pairing we’ve yet to see on screen. Kraven would also help to ground the more absurd Mysterio, helping to balance the overall tone.